Day By Day
by EllieD113
Summary: "Is there anything we can do?" "Nothing. There's nothing we can do." But not everything is as it seems. Join Kate and Rick Castle as day by day, they build a life together.
1. Countdown

**A/N: Hi everyone! You might recognize this story as one that was posted summer of last year. I never meant to stop updating, but school, sorority, and church obligations are life-consuming. I took down the old story, though most of the content of the first few chapters remains the same, save for a couple of changes in dates and such. As always, none of the characters are mine (except the ones I made up). Please read and review and I hope you enjoy!**

Saturday, July 12th, 2014

It's been exactly sixty days, 14 hours, and 35 minutes since Katherine Houghton Beckett became Katherine Houghton Castle, and yes, she's counting, thank you very much. But what Kate _wasn't_ counting on was that, just two months after her wedding, she and Castle were, yet again, watching a timer steadily tick to zero.

"How much time do we have left?" Castle asked in a tight voice from where he sat.

"About two minutes." Kate looked oddly relaxed to him – her leg was bent and she was resting her chin on her knee - with the object of their attention not far from her furrowed brows. Had Castle not been so anxious, he would have been unashamedly admiring Kate's long, lean, and (underneath her pants) gloriously tan legs. Ah, who was he kidding? Even in his nervous state, he was still glancing up and down his wife's body.

"Is there anything we can do?" he asked.

Kate shook her head. "Nothing. There's nothing we can do."

The pair fell into silence again as the numbers steadily clicked away.

"Kate?" Castle asked, voice shaking.

"Thirty seconds," she replied. He couldn't see the timer from where he was sitting, only Kate.

"Ten," Kate spoke. And with each passing second, her voice grew quieter, until 'two' was barely a whisper. "One." 

As soon as the timer shrilled, Castle launched himself from where he was sitting, butt stiff from the uncomfortable toilet lid. "Well?"

"Hold on. It'll come," Kate replied. Her voice sounded so foreign and calm, even to herself.

But nothing was happening, and if staring at the pregnancy test could make the results come any faster, Kate and Castle would have had an answer by now.

"Do you think I did it wrong?" Kate's voice was timid, anxious, and annoyed all at once.

"You pee on a stick," Castle replied. "It's pretty idiot proof."

He'd said that line on purpose. He thought it could make her laugh and sure enough, Castle was rewarded as his love's furrowed eyebrows raised and the lip tucked between her teeth sprang free into an amused grin.

"Really, Castle?"

"Alexis forced me, I swear."

Shaking her head, Kate glanced down at the test in her hand, and then gasped. "Castle, there's a line!"

Immediately diverting their attention back to the test, the couple watched with bated breath as one line finished forming, strong and clear.

"Two lines means yes, right?" Castle murmured.

"Uh huh." Kate was too closely scrutinizing the test to form a real reply. That second line had better appear, or so help her God, she was going to find her second piece from wherever it had disappeared under their bed during one particularly exciting round last night (which reminded her, she had to find her handcuffs before a body dropped or else she'd never hear the end of it) and shoot the thing.

But it seemed like minutes ticked by, and still nothing.

"Guess that's a no," Kate sighed.

"Do you want to take another one?" Castle asked, but Kate shook her head.

"No, not today. Let's just make breakfast, okay?"

Kissing Kate softly, Castle took the stick from her hand and tossed it in the trash under the sink. "Okay. What should we have?" he moved to nuzzle Kate's neck, planting soft kisses there.

"Mmm…how about stuffed French toast?" Kate suggested breathily.

"'Nother one of your Pinterest recipes?" Castle chuckled.

Kate's eyes drifted close as he continued to trail kisses along her neck and jawline. She felt so light and her stomach fluttered. "Yes, and don't make fun," she managed to form. "You know you love them."

"I do," Castle agreed, his arms encircling Kate. "Almost…"

Kate's eyes flew opened and she shrieked as Rick scooped her off the counter, hoisting her over his shoulder.

"…almost as much as I love you," he finished.

"_Castle,_" Kate groaned as he paraded out of the bathroom and through the bedroom. "All the blood is going to my head."

"Almost there," Castle replied, giving Kate's butt a little pinch.

"Rick!"

He knew he was in a little trouble, seeing as how Kate reserved his first name for when she was annoyed, extremely serious, or during sex. But Castle could also hear the undercurrent of desire in his wife's voice and as he deposited Kate on the counter, immediately found his lips attacked by hers.

"Rick," Kate groaned again, her tone completely different.

"Kate," he returned. God, did he love her lips.

"Oh, for Heaven's sake, you two."

Now Kate wasn't the one groaning.

"_Mother_," Castle reluctantly tore his mouth from Kate's and gave what was supposed to be an intimidatingly annoyed look in Martha Rodgers' direction.

"Now, Richard, don't you give me that look. You think after two months of marriage, I wouldn't be walking in on my son and daughter-in-law getting frisky on the kitchen counter. Unless…" Martha had drawn nearer to the couple and her eyebrow raised. "Katherine, are you pregnant? Hormones _can_ make us women, well, _needy_."

Kate blushed and Castle found himself wishing he could sink into the floor. How many times did he have to hear his mother discuss _any_ aspect of his and Kate's sex life?

"No, Martha, I actually just took a test, and I'm not pregnant."

Martha's features softened and she grasped one of Kate's hands in her own. "I'm sorry, my dear. When the time is right, it'll happen."

Nodding, Kate gave her mother-in-law a soft smile. "Thank you, Martha. When it does, you'll be the first to know."

"I should hope so!" Martha replied, her upbeat and dramatic demeanor returning. "After all, I _am_ the grandmother."

She fluttered away, saying something about needing to _let the lovebirds cool down_ and Castle chuckled, his forehead coming to rest against Kate's.

"If she had her way, she'd know before I did," he said, quietly.

"It's endearing," Kate replied. "She loves Alexis so much. I'd be honored to give her a grandchild."

"What about me?" Castle asked, pulling away with mock offense and causing Kate to raise an eyebrow.

"Oh Rick," she purred. "I'd be honored to give you something _else_…all…night…long."

"Katherine Houghton Castle," Castle growled, swooping in for a heated kiss. But instead, he almost toppled onto the counter. "What the?"

Kate had deftly ducked out from underneath him and was now halfway to the study, eyes bright and mouth laughing. "Oh, Castle. You never learn, do you?"

"What? How big of a tease you are?" Castle shot back.

A look flashed through Kate's eyes – two parts frustration (the sexual kind _and_ the regular kind) and one part humor. "Oh, I'll show you how big a tease I can be," she replied, "when I'm eating all the stuffed French toast and you're relegated to measly cereal." With that, she turned, luscious brunette hair whipping behind her, and sauntered into the office.

Rick's eyes narrowed. His wife sure could play dirty. She knew he liked food almost as much as he liked her. And sex. Kate, sex, and food - in that order.

"Crap," he muttered, hurrying towards the office. "Kate, please don't make me eat cereal!"


	2. Father and Daughter

**A/N: Still not mine. You know what I wish **_**was**_** mine? Season 4 on DVD because I heard about this extra scene from 'Always' that was included in the special features. Yeah, I want that.**

Sunday, July 13th, 2014

Sunday morning, in Castle's opinion, should be the least crime filled day of the week. People should be at home asleep, going out to brunch with friends, or attending church with their family. And yet, it was 8 o' clock in the morning and no fewer than four bodies had dropped since the first call came in at 3am. Luckily for the 12th precinct and all of its dedicated (but at that ungodly hour, sometimes surly) detectives, two of them were simple pop and drops. The other two were proving to be much more interesting since they were seemingly connected - murder weapon and style was the same - but the 12th precinct homicide detectives had yet to figure out how.

The first victim's call came in at 5:30 am - a woman had been jogging in Bronx Park when she came across the body of a male, brazenly left in the middle of the path. He was wearing pajamas, no socks or shoes, and it looked as though he hadn't put up a fight. The second victim, a teenager by the looks of it, was found 45 minutes later in a dumpster in Brooklyn when a newborn's father went to take out the trash. She, too, was wearing pajamas and no evidence of a struggle was found.

"Two victims in less than an hour and in two different boroughs," Beckett thought out loud, her eyes locked on the murder board. Looking between the two photos, now that she was afforded the opportunity to study the faces closely, Beckett couldn't help but think that the two almost looked like they could be related.

But she shook her head. No, that was just crazy. Though maybe Lanie could run their DNA, just to make sure…

As if her ears were burning, Lanie rang up onto the floor a few seconds later, asking Kate and Castle to come down to the morgue.

"They could be anyone," Lanie greeted Castle and Beckett with the statement. "Neither John nor Jane Doe have tattoos, piercings, or surgical scars. I can tell you based on lividity is that both were murdered around the same time – between 10pm and midnight last night. John here is approximately 40 to 45 years of age. He was married, though either _he_ removed his wedding ring or our perp did," Lanie lifted his left hand to show the discordant skin tones on his ring finger.

The detective and the writer followed as Lanie moved to where their second victim lay. "Jane is about 19 to 21 years old, based on pelvic structure, height, and other external factors. She's never had kids, never been married, though she does have the same discoloration on the ring finger of her _right_ hand, though not as distinct. It almost looks like the ring was shaped like a shield. Oh, and here's the kicker."

"What?" Castle asked.

"They're related. Father and daughter."

"I knew it!" exclaimed the writer and the detective, causing Lanie to roll her eyes.

"So we've got one healthy college age student with no piercings or tattoos, and her 45-year-old father in relatively the same condition," Beckett commented.

"Mmm hmm," Lanie replied.

"Huh."

Beckett turned to her husband. "Have something to share, Castle?"

"Look at Jane Doe. She's about the same age as Alexis. And yet, no tattoos, no piercings, _and_ she lives in the city that never sleeps, yet instead of going out with friends on a Saturday night, she's in bed? Same with John. No tattoos, no piercings, and he's in bed by 10pm as well. Neither smoke, as lack of odor and lines around their mouth show. One is married and the other wears some sort of ring on her right finger every day. But not a purity ring – those go on the left hand. Ring on the right hand, in the shape of a shield? My guess is that it had three letters on it. CTR."

Beckett's eyes widened as the pieces fell into place.

"They're Mormon."

"Ryan, Espo," Beckett called out as soon as the elevator doors opened onto the floor. "Check with missing persons on any calls within the last few hours for a white female and a white male, father and daughter, and cross check any results for being LDS. They both most likely attend the Manhattan New York Temple."

"Got it." Both detectives hurried from the bullpen, leaving Beckett and Castle with the murder board, furiously scribbling down details about each victim.

Fifteen minutes later, Espo and Ryan were back.

"Victims are Maxwell and Sydnee Cochran," Ryan explained as Espo snapped photos of their victims, alive, up on the board. Maxwell was a strikingly handsome man in life, with soft green eyes and a square jaw. Sydnee was blonde haired and blue eyed, a wide smile on her face. "Mom, Valerie Cochran is on her way in from Queens."

"Queens? Does she have any idea what her daughter was doing in Brooklyn? Or what her husband was doing in the Bronx?" Castle asked.

Ryan bobbed his head. "Kinda. Says Sydnee was spending the night with a childhood friend in Brooklyn before church in the morning and leaving for BYU in the afternoon. Valerie and Maxwell went to bed, at home, at the same time."

"Okay. Ryan, Espo, I want you two to canvas their neighborhood. Talk to neighbors and the siblings. See if anyone heard or saw anything suspicious."

Turning her attention to Castle, Beckett asked, "Any theories?"

Twenty minutes later, an officer arrived on the floor with Valerie Cochran.

"Mrs. Cochran, thank you for coming in," Beckett said, offering her hand. Mrs. Cochran simply, nodded, her throat too tight to speak.

"If you follow me, we can talk in the break room," Castle's voice was soft and Beckett shot him an appreciative glance.

Once settled, Beckett opened with the usual question, "Mrs. Cochran, do you have any idea who would want to hurt your husband and daughter, your family, like this?"

"No," Mrs. Cochran replied. "And please, call me Valerie."

"How many children do you have, Valerie?"

"Ten," the woman replied. "Typical Mormon family, I know."

"And your other children. What are their names and ages?" Beckett asked.

"Sydnee's the oldest," Valerie replied. "She just turned 21 and came back from her mission in Peru last month. Eli is 19, but he's away in Russia. Then there's Ashley, 17, Emily, 15, Cami and Carsyn are 13, Hannah is 7, Ben is 4, Taylor is 2, and Bailey is 18 months."

"Okay. Are they all at home? We have officers on the way there, for questioning and protection."

"Questioning?" Valerie asked, her voice rising in alarm.

"Just to see if they heard or saw anything out of the ordinary," Castle assured. "Have _you_ noticed anything strange? Anyone lurking around the house, the children's schools?"

Valerie shook her head. "No. But then again, with ten kids, the main focus every day is just getting them to school on time, getting homework done, you know, the usual kid things."

Beckett nodded. She couldn't _imagine_ having ten kids. "Valerie, Detective Ryan said that Sydnee had been spending the night at her friend's house? Can you give us the address? We'd like to send officers over there as well."

Valerie nodded. "Of course. It's uh, 1 Main Street in Brooklyn. Family's name is Reid."

"Thank you. Now, Valerie, we'll have to take you down to positively identify the bodies, alright?"

With a shaky breath, Valerie stood. "Alright. Please, so I can bury my husband and daughter."

Sixteen hours later, Kate and Castle slumped into their penthouse home, exhausted.

"I still can't believe it," Kate sighed, shedding her heels before following Castle into the bedroom. "What are the chances that a man murders two people in two different boroughs because they remind him of his father, who abused him, and the popular girl in high school, who made fun of him, and they end up being related?"

Castle shrugged off his shirt, exchanging it for a soft New York Yankees tee and tossing a set of pajamas towards his wife. "I don't know, but I can't imagine losing a spouse _and_ a child and still having eight kids at home to raise while one is halfway around the world."

Kate didn't reply as she quickly changed into the more comfortable clothing, but then quietly asked, "Rick?"

"Yeah, babe?"

"What would...how...what if…" Kate stuttered, trying to get the sentence out, but there was no need to struggle. Castle, as always, seemed to know what she was thinking.

"What if we have a child and they die?" he asked.

Kate nodded, tears threatening to spill over. "I've already lost my mom and that put me down into a deep enough hole, but I couldn't even imagine losing a child."

Gathering Kate into his arms, Castle pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Kate, honey, if ever we lose a child, I will be there for you and you will be there for me, just like we were there for each other during your mother's case. And we will keep them alive just like we keep your mom alive - in memories and in love. They'd never be forgotten."

Nodding, Kate gave Rick a tight squeeze before turning her head to look up into his beautiful blue eyes. "I love you so much, Richard Edgar Alexander Rodgers Castle."

"I love you, Katherine Houghton Castle."

"Hmm…I like the sound of that."

"I know. So much simpler than mine."

**Ending A/N: If anyone could tell me how to get spaces in between sections of the stories, I would greatly appreciate it!**


	3. Intuition

**A/N: Last night, I dreamt I owned Castle. Just kidding - I actually dreamt that the guy I like choreographed an extensive song and dance number with a bunch of our friends just to tell me that he thought we should just be friends. So Castle **_**still**_** isn't mine, and my own subconscious hates me.**

Monday, July 14th, 2014

As a detective, Katherine Beckett had been awake for more sunrises than she cared to count. Body drops weren't particular to a time of day and she had long grown accustomed to working a crime scene - not paying attention - as the sky transformed brilliantly overhead.

Kate Castle, however, was currently nestled into the supple leather couch in the penthouse's living room, watching as the sun slowly peeked over the Manhattan skyline. A large blanket wrapped around her slight frame, she nursed the coffee warming her hands as the great expanse took on brilliant shades of orange, pink, and red.

'_Red in the morning, sailor take warning,'_ the old rhyme popped into Kate's head suddenly, making her wonder if it would rain before the day was over.

Diverting her eyes from the view before her, Kate looked down at her stomach. That day, Monday, marked exactly two weeks late on her period. It wasn't new for Kate to be late or miss completely, but she knew this was different. Whether it was detective's, woman's, or mother's intuition, Kate was **so** sure she was pregnant that she was planning to talk to Rick when he woke up about seeing an obstetrician that day.

'_Only three more hours,'_ Kate thought. "Only three more hours."

She spoke aloud the second time and when a voice replied, she didn't jump.

"Three more hours til what?" Castle rumbled, voice scratchy and deep. He padded over to Kate, stealing a portion of the blanket and curling up at her feet..

"I want to see an obstetrician."

"Mmm, okay."

Kate could tell her words hadn't exactly registered. But barely a minute later, Castle shot up. "Wait, what?"

Nodding, Kate shrugged sheepishly. "I know the test came back negative, but people have false positives all the time so I figured ours could've just been a false negative, right?"

"What if it wasn't?" Castle asked. "Do you want to be disappointed again?"

Kate smiled gently and cupped Castle's face. "I am so sure we won't be disappointed."

Castle said nothing, but Kate could read the uncertainty in his eyes. "Trust me," she whispered, before leaning forward and capturing his lips with her own.

"Always," he replied, breaking the kiss. "Come on. I'm gonna cook you breakfast and then we're going to visit the best obstetrician in the state of New York."

"How did you know about this place?" Kate asked as she and Castle stepped out of the town car a few hours later.

"Honestly, Meredith and I came here for Alexis's appointments. It has the highest reputation still today."

Kate smiled and admitted, "I'm glad one of us has done this before."

"And I'd do it five more times, if I could," Castle replied resolutely.

Kate raised an eyebrow and Castle's expression changed so fast, she almost burst out laughing.

"Or...or just once more, if that's what you'd like."

Laughing, Kate shook her head. "Oh, Castle. It's okay. I wouldn't mind having five of your babies."

"Realy?" Castle hurried after his wife, who was already disappearing into the building. "Cause if so, I don't think the loft is big enough."

"Why don't we worry about one baby at a time?"

"Okay," Castle nodded, serious as he pushed the button for the OBGYN floor. "Let's see if you're pregnant, Mrs. Castle."

"Let's go see if you're a daddy, Mr. Castle."

The elevator opened right onto the obstetrics waiting room and several women at all stages of pregnancy were dotted throughout. Some had men with them, and three children were entertaining themselves at the play area.

"Hello," the receptionist greeted cheerfully. "Mr. and Mrs. Castle?"

"Yes," Kate replied. She was liking this place already.

"Welcome to NY-OBGYN! Have you ever visited us before?"

"I haven't."

"Alright, well we want to thank you for choosing us to take care of your obstetric needs. Since this is your first time here, I need you to fill out a couple of forms and bring them back to me when you're done."

"Okay."

"Would you like water while you wait?"

Accepting two bottles of water, Kate and Castle made their way to two empty chairs and Kate quickly dove into the paperwork. It didn't take her long, however, and upon returning the clipboard, Kate was told it would be about ten minutes until she was called.

"Finding out if you're expecting?" a woman across from Kate asked when she sat back down.

"Yeah," Kate said with a smile.

"Let me guess - test came back negative, but you're sure it's wrong." The woman's face was serious, but her voice was teasing.

"Kate says she's sure," Castle offered up.

The woman smiled. "Always listen to your gut. I took seven pregnancy tests, all came back negative, and I ended up being pregnant with twins."

"Are they here with you?" Kate inquired, eyes glancing towards the play area.

"Stephanie is. Unfortunately, Samantha was born with anacephaly and only lived a few weeks."

"I'm so sorry," Kate and Castle sympathized.

The woman shook her head. "I was, too, at first. I used to lay in bed at night and go over everything I could think of that might have led to her condition. Was it something I ate or drank? Too much stress? But I finally had to accept that it was not my fault in any way and that I had a perfectly healthy daughter on earth who needed her mommy, not the absentee shell. I'm Veronica, by the way."

"Kate. This is my husband, Rick."

Veronica smiled. "Oh, I know who you are. The writer and his muse."

Kate blushed profusely and Castle grinned. "Are you a fan?" he asked.

"Nope," Veronica replied.

Both women burst into laughter at Castle's expression and it was only after it died down that Kate heard her name being called.

"That's us. Veronica, it was so nice to meet you."

"You as well! Hope you get the news you're wanting."

Thanking her, Kate and Castle followed the nurse back to a small, but comfortable room. She took Kate's vitals and asked a couple questions about her medical history before announcing that the OBGYN would be in in a moment.

"Are you nervous?" Castle asked, and Kate shook her head.

"No. I feel anxious, though. I just want to know."

"Well, you're about to find out," a tall, blonde woman stepped through the open door and snapped it shut before introducing herself. "Katelynn Amaya, OBGYN. But you can call me Lynn."

"Kate Castle."

"Rick Castle."

"Pleasure to meet you! So, usually I ask a couple questions first, but why don't we just get down to business and see if you two are going to have a baby?"

"Sounds good to me!" Castle exclaimed with a smile.

Lynn had Kate lay back and lift her shirt as she strapped on gloves and grabbed the tube of gel. "Alright. Gel's a little cold," she warned before squirting some onto Kate's stomach.

The detective and hopeful mother-to-be jumped a little, then chuckled. "Yeah it is."

Lynn grinned, but said nothing and turned to the screen.

"Alright. So, intestines and all that stuff aside, we're looking at your uterus right now. Everything looks normal, which is good. But this - you see this right here?" Lynn circled a small blob on the screen.

"Yeah," Kate said. "What is it?"

"That is the beginnings of your baby."

Kate gasped, hand flying to her mouth, and Castle's grin stretched almost ear to ear.

"Congratulations, Mom and Dad," Lynn smiled. "Now, seeing as how the sac is about 5mm, that puts you at about four to five weeks. We'll get a more accurate estimation - as much of an oxymoron as that sounds - as the baby grows, but right now, I'd put your due date at early March."

Smiling, Kate and Castle looked at each other. "A spring baby," Kate said happily.

"Can I print you some pictures?" Lynn asked.

"Yes!" the couple said enthusiastically.

Three photos were quickly delivered to husband and wife and although the baby couldn't actually be seen, they poured over them happily.

After wiping the gel off Kate's stomach, Lynn gave the parents to be a talk on good foods, what to avoid, and what to do in case of x, y, or z.

"Now, Kate, I do have to be honest with you. Seeing as how you're 34 and Rick is 45, your pregnancy is considered at-risk for certain anomalies, such as Down's Syndrome or Spina Bfida. While the chances are still incredibly low, it means that we will need to see you more often than we would if you were both ten years younger."

Kate nodded, feeling a stab of slight panic in her heart. But, taking a deep breath, she squeezed Castle's hand. "Absolutely. And if something does happen, we will learn to live and thrive with it, right, Castle?"

He nodded, too. "Absolutely."

"Love that positive attitude," Lynn complimented. "So, with that being said, I want to set up your next appointment for six weeks. After that, you'll have an appointment every two weeks until we can run genetic tests to ensure the baby is completely healthy. Once that window is closed, we'll move to every three weeks until the third trimester, where we'll move back to two weeks, and then once a week when you hit the 36-week mark."

"Sounds good," Kate smiled.

"Alright! So I will see you in two weeks, then."

Taking their appointment slip, Kate and Castle thanked Lynn and headed back out to reception. Victoria happened to exit her appointment at the same time and she came in through another door, Stephanie slung on her hip.

"So what's the verdict?" she asked happily.

"Can you keep it under lock and key?" Castle asked, seriously.

"Does that mean yes?" Victoria shot back good-naturedly.

Kate grinned and nodded and the younger woman broke into a smile. "Oh, congratulations! How exciting! How far along are you?"

"Four weeks. Due around the beginning of March."

"How nice! Believe me, I had Stephanie and Samantha just last July and it was miserable being pregnant in the heat of summer."

"I believe it!" Kate commiserated. "How far along are you?"

"16 weeks," Victoria chirped happily. "Next week Carson and I are finding out the gender."

"Have a preference?" Castle asked.

Victoria shrugged, switching Stephanie to her other hip. "I'd be happy with either. I think it's a boy because this pregnancy feels so different than when I was carrying Steph and Sam, but it would definitely be easier to have a girl - especially because we never got rid of Sam's stuff."

"You talk about it so well," Kate admired. "The doctor said my chances of something like that happening are higher since Castle and I are older. How were you able to move past Sam's condition?"

"Well, Cars and I found out about the anacephaly pretty early in the pregnancy. Nobody could tell us how long she would survive outside of the womb, but that it most likely wouldn't be for long. The early discovery, though, really gave us time to move through the grieving process and eventually prepare to say goodbye to our little girl."

"Will Steph eventually learn about her sister?" Castle asked, and Victoria nodded.

"Oh yes. We have ultrasound photos of the two of them, as well as photos taken during their birth and while Sam was still alive."

"It's wonderful you're keeping her memory alive," Kate complimented.

Victoria smiled. "Yes, we never want to forget her." Running a hand through her daughter's thin, light blonde hair, the woman continued, "Well, I'd better get going. Cars has the afternoon off, so he'll be getting home soon. It was wonderful meeting you two!"

"Yes, you, too!" Kate replied.

In the town car, Kate snuggled happily into her husband's side, his arm strong and protective around her.

"Can you believe it?" she murmured in awe. "We're going to have a baby."

"It's amazing," Castle replied. "_You're_ amazing. Our child is right there, with you."

Palming Kate's stomach over her shirt, Castle showered Kate with soft compliments the entire ride home of how gorgeous she was, how lucky he was to be married to her, and how wonderful it was going to be to see her carry their child, bringing tears of joy to his wife's eyes.


	4. To-Do Lists

**A/N: I decided to split Monday up into two chapters because the last chapter was getting pretty long. I'm not giving myself a word limit, just basically going off my own preferences for when I read FanFiction.**

**Is Castle mine? Nope.**

**PS - to get an idea of how I pictured Kate dancing, search "Classic choreography" on YouTube and it's the very first video. It might seem kind of OC, but I could just totally see Kate being a bomb dancer.**

Monday, July 14th, 2014

With Kate not on call, the now parents-to-be had the rest of the day to do whatever they wanted. That is, if they both didn't have to-do lists a mile long.

"How is it possible for the two of us to have so much laundry?" Kate grumbled as she transferred the second load of the afternoon into the dryer. A third basket was at her feet and she was seriously tempted just to set it on fire.

Oh - except those were her favorite pants. And she really liked Castle in that shirt.

With a sigh, Kate banged shut the doors of their washer and dryer and started the two before heading over to the guest bedroom. Her iPhone was docked on the nightstand and _Classic_ by MKTO - unashamedly Kate's new favorite song - was blasting through the speakers. Castle was booty shaking to the song as he cleaned the shower and Kate laughed as he slipped and almost fell.

Turning, Castle grinned at his wife, then started mouthing the words and step-touching towards her. Reaching for her hand, Castle twirled Kate, then brought her around so her back was pressed to his front as their bodies moved to the beat. Laughing Kate twisted around right before the chorus and Castle let her go to admire her dance moves. Unbeknownst to most, Kate was actually a fantastic dancer and Castle thought it just about the hottest thing ever. He could only move back and forth, while Kate looked like she'd just stepped out of a music video.

"You're so amazing," Castle shouted over the music.

Grinning, Kate replied, "Maybe I'll dance _for_ you sometime," and winked at her husband.

Geez. If his blood wasn't already pumping, it certainly was now. With a growl, Castle roughly pulled Kate to him, hungry for her lips.

Not much of their to-do lists got done that day.

Hours later, over a late dinner of steak, potatoes, and grilled veggies, Castle raised the important question. "So when are we going to tell everyone?"

Swallowing her mouthful of milk, Kate shrugged. "I don't know. I want to tell my dad soon. Maybe we can have him over for dinner?"

"Okay. What about Mother and Alexis?"

Sighing, Kate told, "I'd like to wait to tell them until after the next appointment."

"Why?"

"I don't know, Castle. They say that you shouldn't even really tell anyone until the risk for miscarriage drops."

"When is that?" Castle challenged.

"About 12 weeks," Kate admitted. She could tell Castle was getting a little angry.

"12 weeks? Kate, you want to tell your dad as soon as possible, but you want to wait another two months to tell my family?"

Kate's eyes snapped with hurt at that statement. "In case you're forgetting, _Rick_, they're my family too, now."

"Then why don't you want to tell them?"

"Because I'm scared that we'll tell them and then I'll miscarry! I don't want them to see me as a failure!"

Bursting into tears, Kate concealed her face in her hands and Castle's anger faded immediately. Pushing out of his chair, he pulled Kate into his arms, literally, and carried her to the couch. She buried her face into his chest, hand clutching his shirt as she sobbed.

As Castle rubbed her back, he alternated between giving her soft kisses and whispering that it would be okay. And even after the tears ran out, Kate remained hidden in his shirt, breath uneven as she tried to calm down.

Leaning forward for the tissues on the coffee table, Castle passed two to Kate, who wiped away her tears and runny nose. Sighing deeply, she shifted so she was more resting against Castle than into him.

"I'm sorry," she breathed.

"No, no, baby. Don't be sorry." Castle soothed. "It's okay. You're okay."

"I'm just so scared, Castle. Two times in two days, we've come across mothers who have lost their children. What if it's a sign?"

Castle chuckled and Kate looked up at him, brows furrowed with confusion.

"Remember when you said that to me, oh about two months ago? Sitting on a little bench in upstate New York?"

"Oh," Kate replied with a small smile. "Yeah."

She'd been so upset that day. After getting the phone call from Lanie about the ruined dress, Kate had barked at Castle that they were leaving and tossed him the keys. She cried quietly all the way back to Rogan's apartment, where Castle had so easily calmed and reassured her.

"Kate, we are going to do everything in our power to keep our child, our children safe. Sometimes things will be out of our control, but it won't ever be anything more than we can handle."

Nodding, Kate replied, "And that's why I want to have kids with you."

Smiling at the familiar line, Castle bent to press a kiss to Kate's lips.

"Good thing we've already got one on the way."


End file.
